Car door, bus kill cyclist

A 38-year-old man fell off his bicycle after hitting a car door that was opened suddenly and was mowed down by a bus on Prince Anwar Shah Road.

Suman Ghosh, an employee of a bookstore at South City Mall, was taken to MR Bangur Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.

Police said the Behala resident was on his way to work on Tuesday afternoon when the mishap occurred.

Witnesses said Ghosh was cycling at a moderate speed. While he was crossing a stationary WagonR from the right side, the driver suddenly opened the door.

Ghosh rammed into the door and was flung off the cycle. “He fell in front of a speeding Calcutta State Transport Corporation bus on route S-31 (WB04A 5068). The driver slammed the brakes but the front wheels had crushed the man’s head by then,” said Ajay Karmakar, who runs a food kiosk at the Lords Bakery crossing.

“The driver of the bus has been arrested and charged with causing death due to negligence,” said an officer of Lake police station. The car driver fled leaving behind the vehicle, which was damaged by a mob.

Ghosh’s family was shattered by the death of its main earning member. “I do not know how I will break the news to my mother and sister-in-law,” cried Ghosh’s younger brother Sudipto.

The cops cordoned off the accident spot leading to traffic snarls in the area.